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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitch · perch · mate · root · fine · bound · kid · pitcher

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. root — of a plant
  3. root — of a word
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bound — obliged
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. root — the cause
  17. fine — high quality
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — tied together
  22. fine — all right
  23. perch — the fish
  24. mate — a friend

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com